I was behind the wheel as the porch exploded in flames. By the time I had backed out on to the road, the whole front of the house was burning. I waited there for maybe half a minute while the flames climbed and then I heard screaming. Even though my windows were closed and I was at least a hundred feet from the house, I could hear voices screaming in agony. I covered my ears, but I could still hear them. And I could hear them for at least a mile on the way to Cainesville.

28

Chapter Twenty-­Eight

I pulled off the road somewhere and sat there until I had regained some control. There was nothing human in the house, I thought, and what I had heard had no human origins. Whatever it was, it was nothing for me to worry about now.

I threw the empty gasoline cans in a ditch, drove back to Cainesville and parked the Ford in front of Saint Mary’s rectory. I didn’t want anyone to hear a car being driven up to the motel. Then I walked back to my room and let myself in. Father Jackson was still unconscious on the bed, snoring loudly. I undressed, put on a nightgown and got in beside him. Despite what had happened, I went to sleep almost immediately.

He was awake before I was in the morning, dressed and sitting in the chair. From the way he looked, he had a monumental hangover and he was also in an extreme state of anxiety.

“Forgive me, Maggie, I was drunk,” he said miserably.

“We both were. Relax, nothing happened. You passed out and I put you to bed. I wouldn’t have let you do anything even if you wanted to.”

“Where’s my car?”

“I took it back to the rectory so no one would know you spent the night here.”

“Thank you, Maggie. You’re really a good person.”

He left and I went back to sleep. Around noon I got up and had some coffee, then came back and turned on the television set. An hour or so later Father Jackson returned.

“Do you know what happened last night?” he said.

“What?” I kept my eyes on the soap opera.

“The Weber house burned down. It was completely destroyed.”

“It’s lucky there was no one—”

“Two bodies were found. They were badly burned, but it’s thought they’re the bodies of Mrs. Reddy and Mrs. Weber.”

“But you told me they’d gone away!” It couldn’t be they. The searchers must have found the remains of General Caine and Margaret Dorn. But those were only bones, and could hardly have been mistaken for anything else. On the other hand, Stephanie’s body might still have been in the house.

“The Sheriff has evidence that the fire was deliberately started.” Father Jackson moved between me and the television screen. “Were you here all last night, Maggie?”